


The Sun Hangs Over the Moon

by stardustcatharsis



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Universe, Denial, Emotions, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Romance, Soulmates, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21883987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustcatharsis/pseuds/stardustcatharsis
Summary: Rey overhears Maz telling refugee children stories to soothe them and one just happens to be about her.---"He chases her round and round the planets, the systems, the galaxies."The cold of Ilum biting her skin, the wind howling in her ears, it all lead her to him. Everything ended with him being on the other side of a great expanse, no matter how connected they were. She could almost feel the tumultuousness of his heart thrumming through her as he pleaded to teach her, to soothe her, to know her.Ben. Rey thought silently, bringing her eyes back to the smoldering fire light. She instinctively rubbed her thumb with the pads of her forefinger, aching to feel the jolt of his touch, no matter how jarring."Yet, they can never be together. He searches for her in the evening, when he can be as close to her light as possible. During the day, he watches over her from far, far away. She sees him and sets so he can shine."
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	The Sun Hangs Over the Moon

Rey shuffled about the Resistance base, clearing muck and grime from the tarmac. It was her chore, and as disgusting as it was, it made better use of her time than _waiting._ Sometimes, she would catch fairytales Maz would tell the handful of children they saved from the underbelly of Coruscant. It was honestly far better of a treat than listening to the grate of engines misfiring and constant cursing.

As she scraped the sludge, she heard Maz laugh as she lit a fire nearby. It was particularly cool, something Rey still was unsure of, but the fire lapped at her skin enough to ward off any discomfort.

The little woman crept to her seat, crossing her legs as she opened a cannister of tang bark. It sweetened the hot chocolates and she was privy to gnawing on it. It was better than being overly wired off caf, anyhow.

The younglings grabbed scrap pieces of tarp and helmets as they bounded to the fire. A few of the pilots stopped wiping down their ships and hunkered down for the story. It was a simple pleasure, but one the recruits loved. The comfort became a sanctity, and they all willed to protect it.

General Leia even found her way to the edge of a broken bench, sitting with a flask of Corellian brandy. It was her little secret.

"What are you telling us tonight, Maz? Is it about how some of these scruffy kids are about to be the best pilots in the galaxy?"

Rey relished the rasp in the woman's voice, just as joyous as the glean in her eyes. It was nice to see the sadness wash away for a moment, and that was priceless.

" Oh! That would be a wonderful story to tell. It would be a lot easier to come up with these things if I had something appropriate to tell children and not drunks!" She chided, eagerly passing around small metal cups.

Rey leaned against an old ship, rusted and barely recognizable, as she listened intently.

"I want you to look above you, what do you see?" Maz asked. Leia whipped her hand over her eyes as she squinted to the sky.

"I see a big, fat moon coming up and the skinny little sun setting over there." She said, "And some really ugly looking birds."

The little things laughed and she raised a wrinkled hand to pat a little girl on the shoulder.

"Very good, General! I've always heard you had a good eye."

"Just the one, Han always said I gave him the mean eye one too many times and it stayed that way."

Maz grinned, "You'll learn about that when you're older."

Rey did her best to remain quiet, and passive. A million things ran through her mind and wondered how long these moments of peace would last. They always ended abruptly, but this was all she needed tonight.

Maybe it would make her forget her own burdens.

Maz noticed her and adjusted her bifocals with a smirk. "So, as I was saying, the General pointed out the sun and the moon. They're very different, aren't they?"

"Yes!"

"One is only out at night and the other brings the day!" A little boy blurted.

"Well, did you know that they were in love?"

"Gross! Why would a moon be in love with the sun? It would melt its face off!" The same black haired boy whined.

He had a point.

"Well, true. But, I'm going to tell you about it anyway." Maz said, "We'll refer to the moon as _him_ and the sun _her."_ Her voice was tender against the crackling of the fire, her skin ablaze with warmth. "And, the moon is _always_ there. He chases the sun into the morning, always there in the distance. You can still see him, you know?"

A pause came and Maz pointed a crooked finger at the waxing moon, all paled over the golden sky. "He always miss her. She waits and waits for him to find her, but she has to go. They're two sides of the same coin, one heads, the other tails."

_Dark eyes stared at her in the humid hell of the Supremacy. A tangle of wet hair clung to his face as he extended his hand, more demanding than the last time they touched. She wanted it. She craved it. She begged for it. Yet, she could not cleanse him of the mask he still wore, whether it still existed physically or not. That's when she ran. She left him cold. It would have been easy to kill him then, but how could she?_

Rey stiffened, not realizing she drifted into her own head. Her eyes sought the moon, staring at it intently as the stars began to trickle into the darkness, illuminating its hold.

Leia held her head in her hand, glancing almost knowingly at the girl. A sadness swept over the young Jedi's face as she reached beyond herself to _feel_ anything other than the twang of loneliness.

"He chases her round and round the planets, the systems, the galaxies."

_The cold of Ilum biting her skin, the wind howling in her ears, it all lead her to him. Everything ended with him being on the other side of a great expanse, no matter how connected they were. She could almost feel the tumultuousness of his heart thrumming through her as he pleaded to teach her, to soothe her, to know her._

_Ben._ Rey thought silently, bringing her eyes back to the smoldering fire light. She instinctively rubbed her thumb with the pads of her forefinger, aching to feel the jolt of his touch, no matter how jarring.

"Yet, they can never be together. He searches for her in the evening, when he can be as close to her light as possible. During the day, he watches over her from far, far away. She sees him and sets so he can shine."

Maz made eye contact with the girl. There were things about her that seemed so strange. Rey never mentioned Ben to her, but somehow she _knew._ Maybe she knew like she knew the Force. Maybe she sensed it in the way a mother senses her children.

Rey didn't know, but she knew this story was really for her - - - _for them._

"What happens when the moon is gone?" Rey asked, clearing her throat as she warmed her arms with her palms. She was enthralled, taken back, a multitude of things she wished she could ignore. She couldn't exactly sweep it off the tarmac like the debris.

She already knew the answer.

Maz smirked, "He is lost in the dark waiting for the sun to rise so he can be seen. He still has light, but it is just a sliver. The sun is the most beautiful thing when there has been nothing but darkness."

Leia shook her head as she took a big swig from her flask. Her cane rapped against the earth as she felt the tension rising in the air - - - in the Force. It was like a ripple of acknowledgment she tried to stamp out. It was too bad that it was bigger than a bantha trying to squeeze into something the size of an X-Wing.

God forbid, if Han were alive he would have blown a fuse, like the hot head he was. Leia was bemused, wondering exactly where Ben got his temper. It certainly wasn't _her._

 _"_ What about _her,_ Maz?" The general asked, keeping a keen eye on the girl. The good one, she swore.

Maz inhaled sharply, "She chases him into the night, only to find him gone come the morning. She warms the earth on the planets, gives them life and pulls the flowers out. The moon rises the tides and lets them fall when he cannot find her, showing him her sadness. He is only half full when he is without her. He wants to be caught. But they only pass each other, only together for a moment before they're gone. That's what an eclipse is. "

_The night on Naboo, where she found the cities lights sprawling over the dismantled Republic statues. One of Queen Amidala stood staring at her, just as Ben stood beside her staring in awe. He was weak then. He was humble. She was starved for his affection but refrained from a comforting touch to settle his unrest. She was selfish then, selfish enough to think herself a burden upon him. She left him alone again, so desperate to escape his orbit._

_Yet, she was the one who followed him there._

Rey felt moisture piercing her eyes. She dared to let one snake down her cheek as the heat of the fire drew her in. The children screamed and whined, begging for the end to be happier. Maz clapped her hands, and shooed the children.

"That's a story for another time! Best be off to bed before those nasty insects come and snack on you!" She regailed, laughing manaically in jest. "They're so big that they might just fly away with you."

The younglings grabbed their tins and ran about the grassy bay, eager to stare at the sky and argue over the moon and stars.

Rey gripped the broom so tightly in her hands that she wondered if she had melded it to it. Her breath was methodic as the drumbeat of her heart. She wanted to run but couldn't. It was the first time she allowed herself to _believe_ that she loved _him._ The moon, the stars, everything enveloped within his darkness.

Leia's uncertainty was obvious as her fingers brushed loose strands of silver back to the bun atop her head. "Surely it couldn't have been his way with words."

Rey clenched her jaw. _Don't admit it. Don't say a word._ "There's still good in him."

Her words echoed in Leia's head. The desperation that crippled her face was heartbreaking. Maz scooted over to her comrade and rested her head upon her shoulder. "Oh my sweet, Princess. Han would have pissed you off by now and told you how kriffing horrible you are." Her jest was met with a stifled laugh.

She didn't cry. Her resolve was far too stoic for her slight frame, carrying the weight of a monolith upon her face. "I _thought_ that this would be a possibility. I never _knew_ that it would actually happen. The Force doesn't speak to me in a language I understand. It moves me. It frees me and burdens me. I take after my mother. " She stilled, "I am not made of it the same way that my son is, or _you._ Sometimes I think you're both split in half and the other person is just walking around wondering where it belongs."

Rey closed her eyes, trying so hard to remain calm. She couldn't clean up the mess anymore. It wasn't hers. Her allegiances were a fine gray line in between the black and white; order and disorder.

"Honestly, it certainly feels as though I'm the sun. I looked at his face and knew that I would be cursed with him. I didn't realize I would love him, and the hardest thing for me to do is look you in the face and tell you that I do. I don't blame you for kicking me off planet, excommunicating me. I'll chase him until that last little bit of light is gone."

She felt him thrum against their bond. It wasn't the time for this. She could feel everything and nothing at once as he erupted into the cavernous walls of her subconscious. The weight of his darkness bleeding into her light made her body heavy, rigid, with his presence.

Rey exhaled, _pushing, pushing, pushing,_ until she forced him out as far as she could. Leia noticed it and flinched, "Can you feel him, Rey? Can you feel my son?"

"Ben is always there." She said.

Maz nodded, "Have you ever heard the story of Darth Revan?"

"No. I'm from Jakku. I watched a holo _once_ and lived in a carcass of an Imperial Stardestroyer. I didn't really get to do any of this." The girl was aghast.

"Ah, yes, well that will be _yours_ for another day." She said, threading her arm through Leia's. "I'm going escort the General to her quarters so she doesn't slosh around and need _two_ canes."

Leia glanced at Rey once more before scuttling off with Maz. It left the girl sick as she hunkered down by the fire. She relaxed enough that Ben crawled back without hesitation.

She bit the tang bark and snarled at it. It didn't taste as good as everyone said. They were all liars, she scowled.

_"Traitors and thieves, don't forget."_

"I really don't want to do this now." The girl sighed, staring across the fire. Ben sat with his hands rested on his knees. She was far more nervous than she should have been.

" _When do you ever_?" He placated.

It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, that he appeared before her like a ghost. She tried desperately to stamp down the volitale emotions spreading into her nervous system.

Her cheeks were reddened by the cold, by the heat of the fire, by her own admiration of his strangely handsome face.

" _She knows, doesn't she?"_ Ben's voice was low, more gentle than she remembered. She could hear it everyday and it would still surprise her with an unprecedented tenderness that only she was blessed.

"Knows what?" Rey stiffened, watching the flames dance in his eyes. For a moment, she wondered if _she_ was the moon.

Ben shook his head, " _You're infuriating. She knows. I know my mother and I already know, Rey. Do you think after all of these years that I had no idea of your feelings? That's why you run from it. I feel it, too. You know that I do."_

Rey should have felt afraid, but she didn't. She looked at him with such awe and begged her muscles to move. She wanted to trace the scar that seared across his cheek, separating the halves of his face - - - just as they were separated by the war.

"What do we do now, Ben?" She asked in earnest, knitting her brows.

He looked at her solemnly, a rare calmness resting in his eyes, his structure. " _What we've always done_."

"When the others find out, I'll have a bounty on my head." Rey stifled the worry clinging to her lashes. She didn't want to cry anymore. "Leia will do what she can to protect the Resistance. I will, too. Even if it means being on my own again."

" _Should you choose, you have a home_." Ben said, his large form stepped closer, inspecting her reaction. She looked soft in the hazy embers of the fire as they dwindled.

It was the same softness that hung upon the arches of her cheeks on the island. The first time their touch rang through their bond and Rey crumbled at this.

He blessed her with a half of a smile, something that seemed so strange on his face.

"Why are you being so calm? We never agree on this. This is the fine line that divides everything." She said, wanting to fall into his space and drown in the weight of him. His darkness ebbed and flowed like the tide, pulling into the undertow. She drank it all as he stepped closer still.

 _"You deserve a night of peace, as does my mother, though I disagree with her traitorous behaviors. It's how she's always been. If she believes there is hope, then she is justified in chasing her belief."_ Ben said quietly, methodic and well versed. He reached a gloved hand forward, pushing a loose strand of the girl's hair behind her ear.

She flinched at this. So much time had been wasted. She could have run, but waited so impatiently for these stolen moments. She leaned into him, gripping the cloak draped across his broad shoulders. He eclipsed her slight frame as her toes lifted her higher.

Her mouth crushed against his, swallowing the whole of his own hurt. It was painful, sweet, more saccharine than the bark. She reveled in the way he consumed her.

And in an instant, he disappeared into the roaring drapery of the light; fizzling out like smoke beneath her fingers. Her fingers reached her lips as she savored the few fleeting seconds of his flavor.

Her eyes lingered where he had been. "Please come back for me." She whispered. Maybe in the throes of a dream, or the roar of a nightmare would she find solace for more than a moment. For tonight, she would lazily drink what was given to her as though she would never be granted the opportunity again.

The curse of darkness is far more damned than that of the light.

**Author's Note:**

> I went through my Evernote, where I write most of my stories and remembered this one. I wrote this last February and it kept sticking out in mind after seeing Episode 9.  
> It hits a lot harder.


End file.
